Structure, electrical and brakes issues among the top complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
SUVs continue to dominate the road, with many people choosing to drive the 2019 Nissan Armada. The new model claims to provide “intelligence with attitude,” but it appears that it is more conducive of arrogance, without any care for the customer. This Nissan SUV suffers from complaints about the electrical system, structure and service brakes.
In today’s vehicle, the electrical system is in control of just about everything. If the manufacturer didn’t take time perfecting this system, it will show – just like it does with the Armada.
Here is one detailed Edmunds review to pay attention to. “The technology controls are a hot mess. Not easy to navigate and just programmed backwards. My SL has the collision avoidance system which will hit the brakes for you if you’re not slowing down quick enough. It works great and the manual says it should almost always be on, but the default is off?!? You have to remember to turn it on every Time you start. It makes no sense. If someone is in your blind spot the blind stop indicator light is too dim. It’s sometimes hard to tell if it’s even on. It you turn on your blinker but someone is in the blind spot it chimes quickly which is great but the volume is so low it’s hard to hear! Neither is adjustable from what I could find. Here’s the biggie. The SOB many times just simply won’t start. Not a battery, key Fob, or mechanical issue….it’s the electronics, electric control unit, or brake sensor. I’ve had it less than four months and it wouldn’t start as it should at least 20 times. As I write this this is the second time I had to have it towed to the dealer because i couldn’t get it to start for over a full day. Many times it won’t start but you let it sit for 5-30min it would somehow reset itself then start. Stopping to fill up or to leave work is a way to stressful situation because I may get stranded. I’m currently documenting and preparing for legal action if they can’t or won’t fix it. I’m not paying for a $35K driveway ornament. This is not an uncommon problem with the newer Armadas or Q56’s from online blogs but Nissan hasn’t cracked the code on how to fix.”
Wow! That’s a lot that could go wrong with a vehicle. Yet, it’s not all of the problems occurring. In fact, there has been a recall related to the back-up camera system. NHTSA Campaign Number 19V654000 states that over a million vehicles might suffer from a lack of a back-up image, making it more likely to experience an accident. Apparently, the company figures people will move out of the way when they see the reverse lights.
HAD BATTERY REPLACED IN OCTOBER 2019 AND BRAKE SWITCH DUE TO VEHICLE NOT STARTING. I HAD TO HAVE VEHICLE TOWED. NOW, HAVING SAME ISSUE WITH VEHICLE NOT STARTING. HAVING IT TOWED TO DEALERSHIP
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Electrical System | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Engine | |
| Suspension | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings | |
| Power Train | |
| Exterior Lighting | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | |
| Vehicle Speed Control |
If someone is looking for a low-budget SUV, they aren’t going to want an Armada. With that extra expense spent, customers expect that the vehicle will be solidly built and durable, but that’s not the case.
Here’s another Edmunds review. “My Nissan has a very bad, bad paint job with paint chips all over. Nissan refuses to deal with the problem. I also have an irritating noise in the dash that goes away only when you press on it.”
It turns out that other structure-related issues occur with the Armada, including trouble with the outside mirrors. Service Bulletin #NTB17-023c states that the outside mirror could be loose at its base and require repair. The bigger question is, how are these vehicles leaving the assembly plant with loose parts and no one is noticing? What happened to quality control? Somebody might be sleeping on the job.
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Finally, it’s time to look at the service brakes. Without a properly working brake system, owners have trouble stopping and slowing down, thereby creating a safety hazard on the road.
Here’s just one NHTSA complaint. “Hissing noise coming from the brake pedal area when it’s depressed. Thought it was a brake booster issue and notified the dealer immediately. The corporate rep told the dealer that it is completely normal because the booster is not manual but electrical. The noise continues to come from the pedal area like a big rig.”
While the Armada is a larger SUV, nothing on it should be compared to a big rig. Yet, that’s what this complaint states. In conjunction with the braking concern, it appears there are also issues with the steering system. Service Bulletin #NTB19-081 says that while turning at low speeds, this SUV might face a juddering movement from the steering wheel. To fix the defect, the company must replace the power steering high pressure piping with a newer, updated part that is supposed to work better. Whether it’s impossible to steer or hard to stop, the Armada has become a lemon in the eyes of many consumers.
HISSING NOISE COMING FROM THE BRAKE PEDAL AREA WHEN IT’S DEPRESSED. THOUGHT IT WAS A BRAKE BOOSTER ISSUE AND NOTIFIED THE DEALER IMMEDIATELY. THE CORPORATE REP TOLD THE DEALER THAT IT IS COMPLETELY NORMAL BECAUSE THE BOOSTER IS NOT MANUAL BUT ELECTRICAL. THE NOISE CONTINUE TO COME FROM THE PEDAL AREA LIKE A BIG RIG.
Think you have a lemon? Sit back and let the experts work out your lemon case at no cost to you. The law makes Nissan pay legal fees. You may be able to get your lemon out of your life. Every year, auto manufacturers buy back, replace or pay cash settlements to thousands of ‘lemon’ owners like you.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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I purchase my Nissan 2019 Armada in November 2018 and I have been having problems with the vehicle. It has less than 39,000 miles on it and it too doesn’t start . It’s hit or miss … I’ve replaced the battery on my own . I’ve done ALL the required services on it and have nothing but disappointment and anxiety about this $800.00 a month vehicle gas or maintenance NOT included …
The absolute worst car I ever owned. I bought a 2019 Nissan Armada and had NOtHiNG but problems!!! I pay $600 a month and half of the time of it being owned, I can’t even drive it because the battery dies and I have to have replaced or right now, it won’t even start. And if it does start, it doesn’t go out of park. DO NOT. iY!! It’s been nothing but stress and tears for me and wouldn’t recommend to anybody.
Was talked into buying a Nissan Armada 2019 Platnium Reserve by salesman instead the vanilla Armada we test drove. Once on the road, GPS was very outdated (map update $130), Blutooth works intermittently, Nissan Connect services faulty or out of service (no explaination of subscrucption tiers), no compatibility with Android Auto and little compatibility with Android in general. Back seat inputs very outdated and little compatibility with devices common since 2010. Continued diminihsing Bluetooth functionality, map update ineefectual, no analog input for phones, USB inputs not configured for data (as claimed in manual). In service for 60 days and no solution.